This invention relates to disk loading and unloading systems, and, more particularly, to a disk loading and unloading system suitable for use with digital audio disk players, analog players, etc.
In loading a player with a disk, it has been customary to manually fit the disk to a spindle of a turntable. In unloading the disk, it was necessary to remove the disk from the spindle of the turntable by hand and then pull the disk out of the player.
Since disk loading and unloading have been carried out manually, the hand of the operator has inevitably been brought into contact with surfaces of the disk on which information is recorded, thereby providing opportunities for the disk to be soiled or damaged.
This invention has as its object the providing of a disk loading and unloading system enabling a disk to be mounted in a player and removed therefrom with the operator merely touching a peripheral edge of the disk, without the hand being brought into direct contact with surfaces of the disk on which information is stored.
The outstanding characteristic of the invention is that the disk loading and unloading system comprises a disk holding section which is pivotally movable with respect to a main body of the system. When the disk holding section is pivotally moved outwardly away from the main body, a disk inserted in the disk holding section moves upwardly to an upper position in which the disk is partly out of the disk holding section, so that the disk can be removed therefrom by holding same at its outer peripheral edge. To facilitate loading and unloading of the disk while holding the disk by hands, the disk is preferably moved upwardly so that a portion of the disk from the outer periphery thereof substantially to the vicinity of a center opening thereof clears the disk holding section to be exposed to view. To move the disk upwardly to the aforesaid upper position effectively, it is possible to let the disk holding section move in pivotal movement to a maximum while minimizing its linear movement, if the linear movement of a slider driven by a single motor is converted to a pivotal movement of elevation arms or the like. Thus, it is possible to move the disk upwardly to the position in which it sticks out of the disk holding section and downwardly to a position in which it is supported by the disk holding section.